Originally Posted by
Obama
Before the Universe there was no time. TIME is a measurement, that we use to denote the relationship between 2 physical events. The proximity between event 1 ocurring before or after event 2.
But TIME is something humans have developed to keep track of events and because we experience our existence linearly, that is, event 1 happens and then event 2, once 2 happens, we can't go back (non-linearly) to event 1. Likewise, we can't experience things out of sequence like Event 7, Event 3, Event 1, Event 6, etc. -- So we MUST experience things more or less as they occurr with no ability to skip ahead or go back.
Before the Universe existed, there was no physical reality, thus no time.
Since God is non-linear in how he experiences time (by simple virtue of being all knowning and all powerful) AGAIN, time couldn't have existed back then, before the Universe.
SO, we, as linear, physical beings, simply can't answer that question, because it supposes measuring something that didn't exist.
It would be similar to asking "How far apart were Pluto and the Sun, before the Sun or Pluto even existed?
We are therefore left with 2 possibilities from OUR perspective. 1) No time..so no wait, ergo Universe created nearly instantly 2) No time, no way of knowing, so nearly Infinitely.
So the lack of time means our answer is from 0 to infinity with no way to refine it or way to get anymore precise than that.
Anotherwards.. WE DON'T KNOW.
I'm not trying to insult your intelligence. I thoroughly enjoyed your question. It is just that we can't possibly answer that.
In the bible it says god wanted people to praise him so thats why he made us.